It's been the national symbol since 1782. I personally think using the American Bald Eagle as a symbol is stupid. Anyone who has spent time around bald eagles knows they are just pretty buzzards. Around 85% of their diet is carrion. Where they're common they are worse than turkey buzzards on road kill. If the government wanted to use an eagle as a symbol at least they could have used the Golden Eagle. Those birds actually kill their own food. They kill mountain goats and mountain sheep. Also golden eagles have historically been used to hunt wolves and deer.
It's been the national symbol since 1782. I personally think using the American Bald Eagle as a symbol is stupid. Anyone who has spent time around bald eagles knows they are just pretty buzzards. Around 85% of their diet is carrion. Where they're common they are worse than turkey buzzards on road kill. If the government wanted to use an eagle as a symbol at least they could have used the Golden Eagle. Those birds actually kill their own food. They kill mountain goats and mountain sheep. Also golden eagles have historically been used to hunt wolves and deer.